Formed in 2008 by Charles S. Cohen, an executive producer of Frozen River which garnered two Academy Award nominations, the Cohen Media Group (CMG) is a Academy Award-winning independent theatrical distribution and production company, releasing the world's best in contemporary and classic cinema.
Cohen Media Group distributes select films throughout North America, allowing the CMG team to devote their best efforts towards each film’s fullest potential. CMG has released multiple Academy Award-nominated films, including Timbuktu, Mustang, and 2017’s Academy Award-winner, The Salesman.
In addition to a dedication to high-quality new releases, Cohen Media Group also restores classic films under the label, CohenFilm Collection. The restorations, which include the Merchant Ivory collection and the Buster Keaton catalogue, are re-released theatrically in pristine transfers and presentations.
With a strong dedication to quality movies and a talented support team of experienced professionals, Cohen Media Group looks forward to a long future as part of the film industry’s distinguished horizon.
Charles S. Cohen
Chairman and CEO
In his role as President and CEO of Cohen Brothers Realty Corporation, Charles S. Cohen is one of the country’s most important commercial real estate owners/developers, as well as an influential patron, innovator and visionary of culture and the arts. With an eye and portfolio dictated by design, art and architecture, Mr. Cohen’s distinctive portfolio of office buildings and design centers are located in New York, Texas, Florida and Southern California. Mr. Cohen also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, The Lighthouse International Theater, The Public Theater, Real Estate Board of New York, the Stella Adler Studio and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
In 2008, Mr. Cohen was executive producer of the film Frozen River, which received two Oscar nominations and was awarded the 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. He also directed and produced a short film, which was the recipient of a Kodak Movie Award.
Robert Aaronson
Robert Aaronson is an established film industry executive with expertise in Acquisitions, Production, Distribution and Sales. Prior to his current position as Senior Vice President at Cohen Media Group, Aaronson structured worldwide feature film acquisitions deals and secured output agreements with theatrical distributors such as Neon and Aviron on behalf of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Earlier in his career, he served as VP Acquisitions and Co-Productions at Fine Line Features in New York, acquiring such titles as Mike Leigh’s Naked and David O. Russell’s Spanking the Monkey, before relocating to Los Angeles to join 20th Century Fox. He later joined Netflix to help launch Red Envelope Entertainment where he acquired and sublicensed ancillary rights for dozens of films for the platform’s nascent streaming service. His credits as producer include Two of Us, starring Jared Harris and Aiden Quinn as John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Aaronson is based at the CMG offices in Los Angeles.
Liz Mackiewicz
Liz Mackiewicz has an extensive background in Theatrical + Classic Library Sales, Distribution, and Film Production. During her tenure as Senior Vice President at First Look Studios (now Millenium) she sold such award-winning films as Julie Taymor’s Titus with Anthony Hopkins, Bruce Beresford’s Evelyn with Pierce Brosnan, and Julian Schnabel’s Before Night Falls with Javier Bardem. Liz also handled international rights as a senior executive for Morgan Creek International, Arclight Films, Media 8 Entertainment and Regent Worldwide Sales. Liz is a voting member of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles.
Tim Lanza
For 19 years prior to joining Cohen Media Group and Cohen Film Collection, Tim Lanza was the Archivist and Director of Licensing and Public Access for The Rohauer Collection Motion Picture Library, where he was involved in distribution to the Theatrical, Educational, Home Video and Television markets, as well as in Footage and Still sales. During this time, he discovered several thought-lost films and worked with archives such as the Library of Congress and the British Film Institute on their restoration and preservation. He was also an independent media programmer, having curated programs that include Tom Verlaine: Music For Film, which played throughout North America and in Europe and for which he served as producer on the program’s release to DVD, and The Avant Garage Music And Film Festival, which ran annually in Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio for 10 years.